


ring, ring (the happiest sound of them all)

by joshllyman



Series: these broken wings [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Multi, Other, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 14:08:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20797859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshllyman/pseuds/joshllyman
Summary: There’s a voicemail on Tsukki’s phone from his brother. He’s already listened to it three times."Hey, Kei! Happy birthday! I hope you find a way to celebrate, even though you’ll probably be working today. If you get a chance and you want to call back...you have my number. I love you, little brother. Bye."---The last time Tsukki calls his brother nii-chan, and then the first time.





	ring, ring (the happiest sound of them all)

_ the last time: _

“Kei! Wake up!”

Tsukki rubs at his eyes. He can’t see the time without his glasses, but it’s still dark, so it’s not morning yet. “Nii-chan? What are you doing?”

The end of his mattress dips with Akiteru’s weight. “Your birthday’s in five minutes, silly, we gotta celebrate!”

Tsukki grabs his glasses off the side table and slides them onto his nose. Akiteru’s holding a plate of cake and a fork in his hand and wearing a wide smile. “Wouldn’t it be my birthday if you’d waited until the morning, too?” Tsukki asks.

“Aw, Kei,” Akiteru says, and despite the disappointed tone in his voice his smile holds. “You don’t think okaa-san would let you eat this for breakfast, do you?”

Tsukki frowns. “I guess not.”

Akiteru pokes at his foot through the blankets. “Come on, sit up, it’s your favorite!” 

Tsukki sighs and sits up, accepting the plate from his brother as he does. “Oh, it’s got little strawberries on it,” Tsukki says, smiling at the fruits adorning the cake. 

“I told you!” Akiteru reaches over and ruffles Tsukki’s hair. “I can’t believe you’re going to middle school, you’re getting so big!”

“Not as big as you,” Tsukki says around a mouthful of cake. The fruits melt in his mouth. “Where did you get this?”

“I bought it after practice,” Akiteru answers. There’s a weird note in his voice that Tsukki can’t identify, but he doesn’t feel overly concerned with it, not with the way the icing is just sweet enough to counteract the bitterness of the berries, the way the cake is spongy and soft and perfect. He savors each bite, closing his eyes and tasting the flavors, and when he finishes he sets the plate off to the side.

“Thank you, nii-chan,” he says, grinning and showing off a mouth covered in icing. 

“It’s officially your birthday now,” Akiteru says. “You have to make a wish.”

Tsukki closes his eyes and thinks hard, the last of the strawberry flavor still strong on his tongue. “I wish to be as good at volleyball as you are, nii-chan.” He opens his eyes and grins. “Or maybe even better.”

Akiteru’s eyes cloud over for a moment, but then he’s standing and grabbing for the plate. “Keep working hard and you won’t even have to wish for that,” he says quietly. “You can go back to sleep now. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Tsukki lays back down, yawning as he does so. He pulls the covers up over his shoulders. “Good night, nii-chan. Thank you very much for the cake.”

Akiteru pauses, looking down at Tsukki, then runs a hand through his hair. “Good night, Kei. Happy birthday.”

\---

_ the first time: _

There’s a voicemail on Tsukki’s phone from his brother. He’s already listened to it three times.

_ Hey, Kei! Happy birthday! I hope you find a way to celebrate, even though you’ll probably be working today. If you get a chance and you want to call back...you have my number. I love you, little brother. Bye. _

He’s sitting on the bed, arms wrapped around his knees, contemplating listening to it a fourth time even though he’s got the whole thing memorized, when Kuroo comes into the bedroom and sits beside him.

“Hey,” he says softly. 

Tsukki doesn’t respond. He leans in, lets go of his legs, and Kuroo’s arms wrap around his chest. 

Kuroo kisses the side of his head. “What’s wrong, love? You’ve been quiet all night.” 

“Akiteru called,” Tsukki answers.

Kuroo frowns deeply, and hides it by shoving his face into Tsukki’s shoulder. “That was nice of him.”

“I was thinking I should call him back.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Kuroo says immediately. “If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to.”

Tsukki tries to remember the last time he spoke with his brother. They hardly spoke before Tsukki left Japan, and now that he’s halfway across the world it’s even less frequent. He thinks it might have been New Year’s. “I know.”

“Have you told Bo and Keiji?”

“I hadn’t said anything until just now.”

“When did he call?”

“Midnight in Japan.” The voicemail’s been on his phone almost thirty-six hours. 

Kuroo sighs. “It’s up to you. Don’t force it.”

Tsukki bites his lip. Akaashi comes in and sits beside the two of them, taking Tsukki’s hand in his own. He doesn’t say anything, but he gives Kuroo a side glance that suggests he knows something’s up. 

“I think I should call,” Tsukki says eventually.

Akaashi looks again at Kuroo, and Kuroo says “Akiteru” quietly, and Akaashi nods slowly.

“We’ll support you either way,” Akaashi says.

Bokuto enters, humming to himself, but stops short at the serious atmosphere. “Are we all good?”

“Kei’s calling his brother,” Akaashi explains.

“Oh. Shit.” Bokuto comes in and sits behind Tsukki. “You’re sure, babe?”

“Yes.” 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Tsukki turns his head and offers him a smile. “Tetsurou covered those bases already, but thank you.”

“We love you,” Akaashi says.

“Yes.” Tsukki dials the number and hits send before he can stop himself. “Yes, I know.”

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Akiteru.”

There’s a long silence on the other end of the line. “Kei?”

“Who else would it be?”

“Um, right. Sorry. Give me just a minute, alright? I’m gonna put the phone down.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll be right back.”

The sound of the phone being set against a surface is loud, and Tsukki pulls his head away from his phone and leans back into Bokuto.

“He said he’ll be right back,” he explains. 

Akaashi squeezes his hand, and Kuroo nods. Bokuto kisses his neck; Tsukki squirms.

“Try not to tickle me,” he chides, and Bokuto chuckles, the rumbling of it vibrating Tsukki’s back.

“Don’t be so ticklish, then.”

“It’s not as if he controls it,” Akaashi observes.

“My only sensible boyfriend,” Tsukki says, and Kuroo huffs.

“I’m back,” Akiteru says from the phone, and Tsukki waves off whatever Bokuto’s response was going to be. “Happy birthday, again.”

“Thank you.”

“What time is it there, anyway?”

“Nearly ten at night.” 

“How did you spend the day?”

“Keiji made a nice dinner. And strawberry cake. We’re going out tomorrow. We had to work today.”

“Where are you going?”

“In Bo’s words, I’m ‘dragging’ them to the science museum. I don’t intend to use any physical force, but he won’t be swayed from his vocabulary choice.”

“The science museum, huh?”

“Yes.”

Akiteru laughs. “You’re still a nerd.”

Tsukki frowns. “Of course I’m still a nerd. I don’t think moving to the States would have changed that.”

“Nah, you’re right.” A small pause. “How are they? Your partners, I mean.”

Tsukki looks up. Akaashi’s eyes are on him, intense, ready to pounce if necessary. Kuroo is calmer, but still intent on Tsukki’s words. Bokuto is the most relaxed, looking down at his ring with a soft smile on his face. 

“They’re great,” Tsukki says. “Bo’s got a new thing volunteering at the gym. He’s teaching middle schoolers how to play volleyball. He gets mad when they kick his ass because he’s out of shape.”

“Hey!” Bo protests, and Kuroo slaps a hand across his mouth.

“Tetsurou’s job is still really good, he loves it. He’s trying to convince us to get a cat. Keiji has been doing a ton of freelance work lately.”

“And you?”

Tsukki takes a deep breath in. “I’m getting married, Akiteru.”

Tsukki feels Bokuto’s gasp rather than hearing it, and he scoots back into him a bit. Behind him Kuroo reaches out and places a hand on Bokuto’s forearm.

Silence falls over the line. Tsukki counts the seconds, counts Akaashi’s breaths, watches the way his chest rises and falls.

“Congratulations,” Akiteru says eventually, and it’s warm, if confused. “Who has the honor of wedding my little brother?”

Tsukki rolls his eyes. “On the official paperwork I’ll be married to Keiji, and Bo and Tetsu will be married to each other.”

“But basically you’re all marrying each other?”

“Basically, yes.”

“Hmm.” A pause on Akiteru’s side. Kuroo tenses against Tsukki’s side. “And these three, they make you happy?”

Tsukki has to turn his eyes to the bedspread as he replies. “They do make me happy. They make me really happy, Akiteru.”

Bokuto does a poor job of holding back a squeal, even with one of Kuroo’s hands still tight over his mouth; Akaashi glares at him.

“Then I’m happy for you, little brother. I’m happy you found them.”

“Yeah,” Tsukki says softly. “Me, too.”

“I should get back to work.”

“On a Saturday?”

“You know how it is.” Tsukki can hear the way Akiteru shrugs. “Office life stops for no one.”

“If you say so.”

Akiteru breathes in deeply. “Thank you for calling me, Kei. It was good to hear from you.”

Tsukki doesn’t tear up. He doesn’t. “I’ll call more often.”

Akiteru definitely doesn’t sound teary either. “I’d like that. Happy birthday.”

“Thank you, nii-chan.”

There’s a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the call, followed by a moment of silence. When Akiteru’s voice comes through the phone again, it’s throatier than before.

“Good night, Kei. We’ll talk again soon.”

“Good night.”

He presses end on the call, and his entire body deflates.

Around him there are three sighs of relief. Kuroo drops the hand on Bokuto’s mouth and wraps his arms around Tsukki’s waist; Akaashi brings Tsukki’s knuckles to his mouth and kisses each of them in turn; Bokuto runs a hand through Tsukki’s hair.

“We’re proud of you,” Akaashi says, still holding Tsukki’s hand next to his mouth. 

“How silly,” Tsukki mumbles, and Kuroo rolls his eyes.

“You did good, babe, deal with it.” He kisses Tsukki’s cheek. “We love you.”

“I love you.” He grabs Kuroo’s chin so he can kiss his mouth, then Akaashi’s, then he turns to kiss Bokuto. “All of you.”

He settles back against Bokuto with a sigh. Kuroo pulls Akaashi into his lap, and Akaashi rests their hands together on Tsukki’s thigh. They sit together in silence for several long minutes, and Tsukki is content and peaceful and happy. Genuinely, really happy. 

“Hey,” Bokuto says, directly into his ear, causing Tsukki to shiver. He kisses the place where Tsukki’s jaw meets his neck. “I believe you’re still owed birthday sex.”

Tsukki turns around with a smirk. “I believe you’re right.”

“So let’s get started.” He grabs Tsukki’s hips, kisses him on the mouth, and Tsukki doesn’t think about much of anything after that.

**Author's Note:**

> In this alternate universe Tsukki doesn't play volleyball in high school and therefore doesn't get the chance to regain his closeness with Akiteru that way.   
This is less fluffy than Bo's birthday piece but I wanted to explore the relationship between Kei and Akiteru in this universe, so.   
Hey, it's a series now! As previously stated, these are side fics from the universe of my upcoming fic, "these broken wings," which I'm working on for NaNoWriMo. So expect it sometime in November/December.  
(If you're wondering where in the States Bo/Tetsu/Keiji/Kei live, it's Cincinnati. There's a very cool museum of science and history there).


End file.
